McGill vs. Dalhousie

[cl18]

Hello! Looking for any information on deciding between Dal & McGill.

I've been accepted to both and I have received a major scholarship to Dal ($20,000 per year renewable $60,000 total), while only receiving a $5,000 scholarship to McGill. I know McGill has a certain prestige and a leg up because of the BCL/JD dual degree as well as the bilingual aspect. As an NS resident, Dal is still a bit more expensive generally but would be almost fully covered by my scholarship. I live in Halifax, and I intend on practicing law here in the future. All my supports (family, friends, academic connections, etc.) are in Halifax and I'm already really familiar with the law school here (and know many people who have had a great experience here. I'm not sure what kind of law I want to practice yet but definitely on the social justice side (criminal law, international law, humanitarian law, etc.) rather than business/corporate. I'm just wondering if there's a downside to picking Dal because of my potential interest in international law (where it seems the bilingualism and BCL at McGill could be of great help to me). Is there a big difference in prestige between McGill and Dal? Will a degree from McGill open a lot more doors? I've heard amazing things about Dal but don't know anyone who has gone to McGill so I am likely a bit biased since I don't know anyone with that first hand experience. I was accepted to McGill first, so by the time Dal offered I was already pretty set in my decision, but now I'm reconsidering due to the scholarship offer to Dal as that significant of a scholarship seems pretty rare. Any advice would be appreciated please !!!

Edited March 20 by cl18

[steaklover]

1. Prestige only matters "so much"... and much probably isn't the right word for it, especially if you intend to live and practice in NS anyways. Having potentially 60,000 less in debt (actually more if you have family that you can live with in Hali) definitely gives you a better leg up long-term than whatever prestige difference exists between McGill and Dal

2. This is the important one. Law school is challenging, exhausting, and draining for ALL law students. Anybody who says it was a piece of cake is lying to you, delusional, or both. Having a support system in place, for EXAMPLE being able to come home to a meal already cooked or groceries already purchased or a kitchen that's been cleaned WILL positively impact your mental health, level of rest, burnout, and therefore performance. Living in Montreal would be pretty cool, but you'll be fending for yourself on everything and there will be days every week, hell there will be WEEKS where you feel like you don't have the energy to take care of yourself. That could be the difference long-term between C's and B's, or between B's and A's, or who knows what. This is the single most important thing that I see people overlook when weighing pros/cons of different schools. If you have family to stay with, and therefore less expense and more "help", Dal is 100% the better choice simply because of the support you will have. PLEASE do not underestimate how important that is.

55-60k less debt, probably more once you factor in cost of rent + living in MTL makes Dal a no-brainer.

WIth that said, please choose McGill and put that sweet scholarship money back into the pot for me, haha, and congrats on the A's!

[CleanHands]

20 minutes ago, steaklover said:

Law school is challenging, exhausting, and draining for ALL law students. Anybody who says it was a piece of cake is lying to you, delusional, or both.

What's delusional is your apparent belief that your experiences must be universal.

You otherwise make some good points in your post.

Edited to add: Just saw in your post history that you haven't even attended law school yet (but feel qualified to call people who have completed law school "delusional" or "liars" for relating what their actual experiences in law school were). So it's not even a belief that your experiences must be universal, it's a belief that your assumptions about experiences others have had and you have not must be true. lol

Edited March 20 by CleanHands

[canuckfanatic]

32 minutes ago, steaklover said:

This is the important one. Law school is challenging, exhausting, and draining for ALL law students. Anybody who says it was a piece of cake is lying to you, delusional, or both.

🙋‍♂️Law school was easier than undergrad - I got better grades, I was in the gym 6x per week, I was dating my now-wife. I had a blast tbh.

4 hours ago, cl18 said:

I have received a major scholarship to Dal ($20,000 per year renewable $60,000 total) ... I live in Halifax, and I intend on practicing law here in the future. All my supports (family, friends, academic connections, etc.) are in Halifax and I'm already really familiar with the law school here (and know many people who have had a great experience here.

This is a no brainer - go to Dal! I can't think of any con to going to Dal in your scenario - there are no opportunities in NS that McGill could open that Dal can't.

[MyWifesBoyfriend]

46 minutes ago, steaklover said:

This is the important one. Law school is challenging, exhausting, and draining for ALL law students.

Sort of bandwagoning, but I am also a current student.

Law school HAS been challenging, and at times exhausting for me. With that being said, the experience varies widely between individuals.

I spent maybe ~10-12 hours a day studying for each exam last term. I had a friend who studied half as hard as I did, and got the exact same slate of marks. Do with that anecdote what you will.

Edited March 20 by MyWifesBoyfriend

[steaklover]

2 hours ago, CleanHands said:

What's delusional is your apparent belief that your experiences must be universal.

You otherwise make some good points in your post.

Edited to add: Just saw in your post history that you haven't even attended law school yet (but feel qualified to call people who have completed law school "delusional" or "liars" for relating what their actual experiences in law school were). So it's not even a belief that your experiences must be universal, it's a belief that your assumptions about experiences others have had and you have not must be true. lol

Aah, yes, because I don’t start law school until September there’s no possible way for me to know what law students go through. It’s simply impossible, there aren’t any feasible alternate explanations you might have wanted to consider before concluding I’m making completely unfounded assumptions.

Additionally, what I said specifically was that anyone who claimed it was “a piece of cake” are lying or delusional. Perhaps I worded this too strongly, but anyone posting on here saying it was “a piece of cake” shouldn’t be taken at face value as far as conversations about expectations for 1L are concerned — to those who felt law school was genuinely easy and who excelled, that’s great, but surely you’d agree telling people it will be a cake walk is setting the wrong expectation? Enjoyable, fun, a healthy challenge, easier than their undergrad — sure, but I doubt anyone would willingly characterize it as not requiring hard work, organization, effort, energy, etc.

My mistake was saying it’s a universal experience, perhaps I should have instead said it is a common experience or that most people feel that way at *some* point during law school, especially 1L. Happy to walk back the strength of my rationale for why a support system is important, but I stand by the underlying but perhaps poorly stated claim: it requires efforts that are more effective, or more sustainable, when one has a support system in place.

 

 

[toro-nigiri]

1 minute ago, steaklover said:

Aah, yes, because I don’t start law school until September

Why are you so eager to tell someone about the law school experience when you haven't experienced it yourself? I wouldn't make sweeping generalizations about things you haven't experienced.

[CleanHands]

9 minutes ago, steaklover said:

Aah, yes, because I don’t start law school until September there’s no possible way for me to know what law students go through. It’s simply impossible, there aren’t any feasible alternate explanations you might have wanted to consider before concluding I’m making completely unfounded assumptions.

You wrote that people who did go to law school and characterize the experience differently than you (who has never been to law school) would are delusional, lying, or both. You literally are making assumptions about something you have no firsthand experience with. I actually find it quite humorous that you are unwilling to admit that you were talking out of your ass and don't actually know more about the experience than people who have JDs.

11 minutes ago, steaklover said:

Additionally, what I said specifically was that anyone who claimed it was “a piece of cake” are lying or delusional. Perhaps I worded this too strongly, but anyone posting on here saying it was “a piece of cake” shouldn’t be taken at face value as far as conversations about expectations for 1L are concerned — to those who felt law school was genuinely easy and who excelled, that’s great, but surely you’d agree telling people it will be a cake walk is setting the wrong expectation? Enjoyable, fun, a healthy challenge, easier than their undergrad — sure, but I doubt anyone would willingly characterize it as not requiring hard work, organization, effort, energy, etc.

What I think sets the wrong expectation is overemphasizing how "challenging, exhausting, and draining" law school is "for ALL law students," to the extent that anyone who suggests otherwise is "lying to you, delusional, or both." This characterization is simply not true.

Law school is stressful, at least at some times, and to some degree or another, for most students. Some students struggle with it a lot. Those experiences should be validated and we shouldn't be making people who feel that way feel worse or as if there is something wrong with them. It's normal. But I have found that in efforts to validate this, in online discourse people often go too far in the other direction and significantly overstate how daunting and stressful and hectic law school is. And that sort of hyperbole is just going to contribute to stress unnecessarily by convincing people that they really should be extremely stressed.

12 minutes ago, steaklover said:

I doubt anyone would willingly characterize it as not requiring hard work, organization, effort, energy, etc.

My mistake was saying it’s a universal experience, perhaps I should have instead said it is a common experience or that most people feel that way at *some* point during law school, especially 1L. Happy to walk back the strength of my rationale for why a support system is important, but I stand by the underlying but perhaps poorly stated claim: it requires efforts that are more effective, or more sustainable, when one has a support system in place.

Virtually any educational or vocational endeavor worth doing is going to require hard work, effort and energy to perform well at, and such things are always easier when people have proper support systems in place. None of this is controversial.

[steaklover]

1 minute ago, CleanHands said:

You wrote that people who did go to law school and characterize the experience differently than you (who has never been to law school) would are delusional, lying, or both. You literally are making assumptions about something you have no firsthand experience with. I actually find it quite humorous that you are unwilling to admit that you were talking out of your ass and don't actually know more about the experience than people who have JDs.

 

I admitted that it was a mistake to hyperbolize -- full stop. I apologize for misrepresenting things, and can understand the negative effect of making things appear more daunting than they are (to be brief), and for claiming an experience is universal. I can't edit the post but I'm happy to reiterate here, again, that you are right that what I wrote isn't true for everyone and that I was mistaken and offensive in the use of words like "delusional" and "liars". 
 

16 minutes ago, CleanHands said:

I have found that in efforts to validate this, in online discourse people often go too far in the other direction and significantly overstate how daunting and stressful and hectic law school is. And that sort of hyperbole is just going to contribute to stress unnecessarily by convincing people that they really should be extremely stressed.

 

This occurred to me when I read your initial response to me, and you're right! I'd appreciate if you didn't continue saying I'm speaking out of my ass. I have a pretty good basis for the beliefs I hold, and I'm very clearly willing to adjust them when someone provides alternative reasoning. You don't actually know what's informed my opinions, though, so it would be nice if you didn't pull credentials to such a strong effect, especially when you seem to agree with the majority of what I've said.

I think the points I am willing to stick by is that for OP, Dalhousie sounds like a much smarter option because they will:

A) save a lot of money compared to going to McGill both due to their outstanding scholarship + family resources due to being a Haligonian
B) have a better shot at success due to the support structure they hopefully have through family 
C) benefit from studying law in the province they want to practice in

[cl18]

18 hours ago, canuckfanatic said:

🙋‍♂️Law school was easier than undergrad - I got better grades, I was in the gym 6x per week, I was dating my now-wife. I had a blast tbh.

This is a no brainer - go to Dal! I can't think of any con to going to Dal in your scenario - there are no opportunities in NS that McGill could open that Dal can't.

thank you for the response! do you know anything about international law opportunities via dal vs. mcgill? that's my main concern because i may wish to go the international route and don't want to close any doors by staying in a small(er) city like Halifax (although i'm still not positive which area i will go into but something on the social justice/humanitarian side)

 

19 hours ago, steaklover said:

1. Prestige only matters "so much"... and much probably isn't the right word for it, especially if you intend to live and practice in NS anyways. Having potentially 60,000 less in debt (actually more if you have family that you can live with in Hali) definitely gives you a better leg up long-term than whatever prestige difference exists between McGill and Dal

2. This is the important one. Law school is challenging, exhausting, and draining for ALL law students. Anybody who says it was a piece of cake is lying to you, delusional, or both. Having a support system in place, for EXAMPLE being able to come home to a meal already cooked or groceries already purchased or a kitchen that's been cleaned WILL positively impact your mental health, level of rest, burnout, and therefore performance. Living in Montreal would be pretty cool, but you'll be fending for yourself on everything and there will be days every week, hell there will be WEEKS where you feel like you don't have the energy to take care of yourself. That could be the difference long-term between C's and B's, or between B's and A's, or who knows what. This is the single most important thing that I see people overlook when weighing pros/cons of different schools. If you have family to stay with, and therefore less expense and more "help", Dal is 100% the better choice simply because of the support you will have. PLEASE do not underestimate how important that is.

55-60k less debt, probably more once you factor in cost of rent + living in MTL makes Dal a no-brainer.

WIth that said, please choose McGill and put that sweet scholarship money back into the pot for me, haha, and congrats on the A's!

thanks for your response! i guess when i said "prestige," i moreso meant academic rigour. i've heard from a few lawyers & academics that McGill's overall academic intensity is incomparable to most other unis in Canada (with many comparing it to the Ivy Leagues), and i am always looking to challenge myself so this was just one of my concerns with potentially choosing Dal (not that dal isn't an incredible institution as well). 

[MyWifesBoyfriend]

34 minutes ago, cl18 said:

international law opportunities via dal vs. mcgill? that's my main concern because i may wish to go the international route

There is no such thing as the “international route”. Law is jurisdictional. 

[ccq35]

… but tell us what you mean by “the international route” and someone will be happy to weigh in. 

[CommeCiCommeCa]

Just wanted to chime in on a few points. If you're really hoping for a more international career (i.e. working in an international institution like the ICJ in the Hague, or the ECHR in Strasbourg, or the CJEU in Luxembourg, or the UN in Geneva/NYC, etc.), then McGill is likely the stronger choice. After graduating from McGill, I started my career in one of these institutions and would be happy to chat about it if you'd like to PM me; there are definitely a handful of folks in most graduating years at McGill who will make their way to institutions like this. However, as a (very big) disclaimer, these jobs are few and far between, and like @MyWifesBoyfriend said, international law as a practice area is pretty amorphous/virtually non-existent. Moreover, and unfortunately, a lot of these international institutions still care a lot about the uni you go to, and McGill just is one of those schools that people in other countries have heard of. It also certainly helps that the program is bijural and bilingual, as a lot of the work at these institutions is done in French. 

That being said, you have also mentioned an interest in staying in Halifax, and I'm not sure there are really any "international law" opportunities there. The only real "international law" jobs I can think of in Canada would be working as a lawyer for Global Affairs, which would require a move to Ottawa (and is also an exceptionally competitive job to get). If you're interested in social justice work more broadly, then McGill might be a good fit, there were definitely a lot of course offerings to this effect. However, it will also depend on what area of social justice work you're interested in. If you want to do crim defence work for example, McGill may not be the best fit. The crim course offerings at the Faculty are not great -- which was a big gripe a couple of my friends who ended up working in criminal law after graduating had with the Faculty. I also agree with some of the prior posters that there is a benefit to going to law school in the city you want to practice in. I unfortunately can't speak to Dal's course offerings in the areas of law that interest you, but I would encourage you to go look at what courses are offered at both schools, and what Faculty members there are at both of the schools whose work/research might interest you. Maybe this will help you make your decision. 

Either way, congrats on your admissions, they're both fantastic schools, so you can't make a bad decision ! 

[canuckfanatic]

6 hours ago, cl18 said:

do you know anything about international law opportunities

This thread from last year will provide you with some insight into "international law" (warning: you'll have to sift through a lot of snarkiness to find the insights):

 

Edited March 21 by canuckfanatic

[cl18]

7 hours ago, MyWifesBoyfriend said:

There is no such thing as the “international route”. Law is jurisdictional. 

I'm aware law is jurisdictional, thanks. I meant having a more international career i.e. working with the ICJ or UN etc., which other commenters seem to have gathered and offered their advice on the matter ....  If you don't have something nice to say, I'm not really sure what the point in commenting was. Thanks. 

1 hour ago, canuckfanatic said:

This thread from last year will provide you with some insight into "international law" (warning: you'll have to sift through a lot of snarkiness to find the insights):

 

thank you so much! this will be very helpful:) I appreciate it. 

 

[Naj]

The problem with this post, and others alike, is that you are planning for what a marriage would look like between two women you have never even met when you should be thinking about which one you'd more enjoy taking out on a first date. Picking the super hot model who will make your life miserable isn't a better choice than the alternative modest option that is nonetheless more of a guarantee in every other regard, it's not like she's that ugly anyway.

Law school is the same, pick what is going to be conducive to making your academic life efficient for the next 3 years. Pick what is comfortable, so that you have the motivation, mental capacity, and time to study and get good grades. It is difficult to get good grades when you are thinking about the accruing debt for living expenses you could have avoided, struggling to find a social circle, eating junk food because it's the only form of convenience that is now available to you, spending excessive time commuting, so and so forth. All schools, law or otherwise, tend to be easy and enjoyable when life itself is rather convenient and you do not have a hundred other responsibilities hanging over your head. So pick the option that's going to make life enjoyable and easy, to the extent life can be those things. 

Many of these international law opportunities that @CommeCiCommeCa mentioned require a master's in law or a few years of practice experience in lieu. So you have a better chance at a fruitful marriage with a bat-shit crazy supermodel actively ruining your life than having where you go to law school in Canada for your JD be determinative of a potential career in international law. I don't want to speak too much about international law because I don't know all that much, but I know enough to say that you simply can't 'plan' for a career in international law in the way that you're probably thinking, judging by how you've framed your post - for the same sorts of reasons on why it would be extremely naive to be planning for marriage while you're still on the first date.

Edited March 21 by Naj

[cl18]

4 hours ago, ccq35 said:

… but tell us what you mean by “the international route” and someone will be happy to weigh in. 

thank you! I've seen some helpful threads from other commenters : ) 

 

3 hours ago, CommeCiCommeCa said:

Just wanted to chime in on a few points. If you're really hoping for a more international career (i.e. working in an international institution like the ICJ in the Hague, or the ECHR in Strasbourg, or the CJEU in Luxembourg, or the UN in Geneva/NYC, etc.), then McGill is likely the stronger choice. After graduating from McGill, I started my career in one of these institutions and would be happy to chat about it if you'd like to PM me; there are definitely a handful of folks in most graduating years at McGill who will make their way to institutions like this. However, as a (very big) disclaimer, these jobs are few and far between, and like @MyWifesBoyfriend said, international law as a practice area is pretty amorphous/virtually non-existent. Moreover, and unfortunately, a lot of these international institutions still care a lot about the uni you go to, and McGill just is one of those schools that people in other countries have heard of. It also certainly helps that the program is bijural and bilingual, as a lot of the work at these institutions is done in French. 

That being said, you have also mentioned an interest in staying in Halifax, and I'm not sure there are really any "international law" opportunities there. The only real "international law" jobs I can think of in Canada would be working as a lawyer for Global Affairs, which would require a move to Ottawa (and is also an exceptionally competitive job to get). If you're interested in social justice work more broadly, then McGill might be a good fit, there were definitely a lot of course offerings to this effect. However, it will also depend on what area of social justice work you're interested in. If you want to do crim defence work for example, McGill may not be the best fit. The crim course offerings at the Faculty are not great -- which was a big gripe a couple of my friends who ended up working in criminal law after graduating had with the Faculty. I also agree with some of the prior posters that there is a benefit to going to law school in the city you want to practice in. I unfortunately can't speak to Dal's course offerings in the areas of law that interest you, but I would encourage you to go look at what courses are offered at both schools, and what Faculty members there are at both of the schools whose work/research might interest you. Maybe this will help you make your decision. 

Either way, congrats on your admissions, they're both fantastic schools, so you can't make a bad decision ! 

Thanks very much! This is all super helpful. 

Edited March 21 by cl18

[cl18]

16 minutes ago, Naj said:

The problem with this post, and others alike, is that you are planning for what a marriage would look like between two women you have never even met when you should be thinking about which one you'd more enjoy taking out on a first date. Picking the super hot model who will make your life miserable isn't a better choice than the alternative modest option that is nonetheless more of a guarantee in every other regard, it's not like she's that ugly anyway.

Law school is the same, pick what is going to be conducive to making your academic life efficient for the next 3 years. Pick what is comfortable, so that you have the motivation, mental capacity, and time to study and get good grades. It is difficult to get good grades when you are thinking about the accruing debt for living expenses you could have avoided, struggling to find a social circle, eating junk food because it's the only form of convenience that is now available to you, spending excessive time commuting, so and so forth. All schools, law or otherwise, tend to be easy and enjoyable when life itself is rather convenient and you do not have a hundred other responsibilities hanging over your head whilst going through an entire day having not spoken a single word because you go to a commuter school and there's no obvious, easy, or convenient opportunity for you to mingle and socialize. So pick the option that's going to make life enjoyable and easy, to the extent life can be those things. 

Many of these international law opportunities that @CommeCiCommeCa mentioned require a master's in law or a few years of practice experience in lieu. So you have a better chance of having a fruitful marriage with a bat-shit crazy supermodel who's actively ruining your life than having where you go to law school for your JD in Canada be determinative of a potential career in international law. I don't want to speak too much about international law because I don't know all that much, but I know enough to say that you simply can't 'plan' for a career in international law in the way that you're probably thinking, judging by how you've framed your post - for the same sorts of reasons on why it would be extremely naive to be planning for marriage while you're still on the first date.

Oh, I understand what you mean. I can definitely see myself doing further education (masters, etc.) as you mentioned if I want to pursue something more international, but it does make sense that it is likely too early to really decide and/or base my decision off of that! In that case, it probably does make a lot more sense to stick with Dal. Thank you for the advice!

[MyWifesBoyfriend]

1 hour ago, cl18 said:

If you don't have something nice to say, I'm not really sure what the point in commenting was. Thanks. 

My intent wasn't to be condescending, but realistic. It's unhelpful to say you want to do "international law". It's like if I was going to do a MBA and my goal was to be a "international businessman", or if I was doing computer science and said I wanted to be a "computer guy". Like, sure "international law" as a generic label exists, but it means nothing. 

@canuckfanatic posted the relevant thread on this topic, and this will shed insight on why it's sort of a silly question. Also you should not go to any Canadian schools with the intent of doing international law. If you want a "safe school" for international law, withdraw your offers at McGill and Dal and reapply to OxBridge or HYS. I know @CommeCiCommeCa has gone the international law route, but a quick look at their profile will make it clear that they're an exceptional student with (likely) top grades. 

 

@Naj love the analogy. 

Edited March 21 by MyWifesBoyfriend

[Conge]

If want to work in Halifax after you graduate, Dal is by far the better choice. 

 

[Iheart1457]

Ok, but what are the conditions for renewing that Dal scholarship? How realistic is it that you get it renewed? I do not know you so I cannot answer those types of questions, but they are things to ask since nothing worse than starting 2L in a panic after losing out on renewing the scholarship. McGill has good financial aid that has come in clutch for me two years back to back now. 

If you want a career that goes international, McGill would have the edge with BCL/JD and being a bilingual program; however, I would also suggest learning a third language if you haven't already (being bilingual is not that impressive stuff at the UN according to a former SCC Justice that I met). I would compare the two school's international exchange program options since that would help you with your career ambitions.

Personally,I chose McGill because I wanted to study in both FR/EN and like collecting degrees as if I am Thanos collecting his infinity stones. I also chose it because I really liked the student body's vibe: supportive yet driven. Capable of making fun of ourselves but also proud. My background is unconventional for a law student and I felt like I fit right in since McGill tries to pick a cohort with diverse academic backgrounds. The profs are also all amazing and have been nothing but supportive as I chase my ambitions.

On a side note, I personally think it best to have a chance to live on your own (aka away from home) at least once as a student to 1) get that student experience and 2) build your independence and resilience before you join a law firm as an articling student (which will be busy af and stressful). I don't know if you lived on your own yet during undergrad, but there is a certain IDGAF energy you learn to develop when living on your own and going through tough times. Moving to Montreal from my hometown was one of the best decisions I made in terms of personal growth. I also love how much there is to do in MTL and that the transit system is functional. My only complaint is that McGill Law is at the top of a hill....which means you would graduate with nice calf muscles lol.

Overall, congrats and your offers and scholarships! That is huge. Let me know if you come to McGill next fall, it would be my pleasure to answer any other questions!

 

 

 

[CleanHands]

1 hour ago, Iheart1457 said:

Ok, but what are the conditions for renewing that Dal scholarship? How realistic is it that you get it renewed? I do not know you so I cannot answer those types of questions, but they are things to ask since nothing worse than starting 2L in a panic after losing out on renewing the scholarship.

I'm open to correction but my understanding is that the horrible, predatory scholarships requiring deliberately unrealistic GPA requirements to renew are basically an American and not Canadian thing (although Canadian ones can require students to simply maintain good academic standing). I don't think Dalhousie sets people up to fail in that respect.

[CroffleKing]

Have you perused Dal's offerings which relate to international law? I see they (like most other schools I've looked at) have plenty of upper year courses which adopt an international perspective on various areas of law (e.g., international human rights law). What stood out to me, though, was the massive number of international law classes which aren't typically available at other schools. There is an option to do international business law in the UK in the spring sessions: these opportunities seem more common (e.g. the London UK based international business law opportunity through UCalgary.) What stands out more is the less common option of being able to also do a Public International Law course in the UK. Dal has a clear focus on international law - a lot of it is maritime law/law of the sea, but I feel like this area of law would be as close of a fit as any for a uniquely international area of law at least in the sense that there are huge implications in that area when it comes to diplomacy, trade, and armed conflict. And you could earn a certificate in that area on route to your JD which, while the utility of it is probably pretty niche, it would be a unique thing that might be a fun thing to drop in conversations at dinner parties. There are also some unique courses with an international lens/focus that play on Dal faculty members' strengths in environmental and health law. I also see some practicum opportunities that have a clear international focus in this list I pulled.

Courses I flagged after looking:
Maritime Law and Practice
Private International Law
International Law
Fisheries Law
Law of the Sea
Coastal Zone Management
International Environmental Law
International Trade Law
Ocean Law and Policy
International Human Rights Law
Marine Environmental Protection Law
Immigration and Refugee Law
International and Transnational Criminal Law
International Humanitarian Law/Law of Armed Conflict
Law of International Trade and Shipping
European Union Law
Refugee Law and the Criminal Asylum Seeker
Refugee and Forced Migration Law
Theory and Practice of Mediation and Conflict Transformation in Northern Ireland
International Commercial Arbitration
International Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Practicum
International Human Rights Law Advocacy
International Investment Law

I have no idea what McGill looks like for curriculum in these areas and I'm not going to take the time to pull and list out the offerings from both schools because I'm sure McGill is strong too if that's specifically part of why you applied there. But, to continue with that great analogy from @Naj you will easily make it to second base or further with the 'international law' imagined partner in that analogy if you go to Dal. It looks like you could build all of your electives in your JD only taking courses with some sort of international focus. Whether that would be a good idea is a different discussion, but it certainly seems possible at Dal as long as things line up for you with scheduling and when the faculty decides to offer these courses.

As a last note, I lived in Halifax for quite some time. I did undergrad and grad school there. As anyone would tell you who has lived there, there is a huge Canadian Forces presence, Coast Guard, and a lot of Federal Government work going on in that city for it's size. I'm not trying to assume these would be places you might land which are rooted in Canada, OP, but rather I'm suggesting there is an opportunity there for you to get the sorts of experiences and exposures that could make you more competitive for jobs in Global Affairs or other areas of the federal government. It would likely be a less advantageous place to be for things related to international commerce, but I don't know how strong Montreal is for that either (outside of perhaps it being a bilingual city with presumably more French speaking countries doing business in it than Toronto.) It's also worth noting that Dal has multiple course codes for 'directed readings' and 'practicum' which are open ended so it would be a good city to find opportunities to earn credit getting the exposure you want, and I'm sure based on the course offerings that there are lots of faculty who could potentially supervise a directed readings course in a specific area you wanted to dig into. And I guess on that note, and I'm sure you have your reasons, but wouldn't Ottawa be an ideal place for you based on the location and the faculty and the courses they have on offer? 

To your question, and again I'm also an incoming student so take that into consideration when I say this - but Dalhousie seems to not only be a solid pick for the personal reasons you list, but it also seems like a damn good choice for you based on the opportunities and course offerings when I look at their courses. I think the only good reason McGill would win is the name recognition, and I'm of the opinion that isn't a good reason to pick where you go to school compared to the personal reasons you list and when Dal seems to have a lot going on in their academic calendar that should appeal to someone interested in international opportunities.

Edited March 24 by CroffleKing

[MyWifesBoyfriend]

1 hour ago, CroffleKing said:

Dal seems to have a lot going on in their academic calendar that should appeal to someone interested in international opportunities.

I think the issue here is you’re conflating an interest in international law with employment avenues towards international law. 

Practically every school has a roster of international law courses, or something adjacent to it, whether it’s clinical or extracurricular. So this isn’t really a special plus for Dal.

If anything, McGill is still the intuitive choice for “international law” given the language requirement and civil law/JD degree. 

[Iheart1457]

6 hours ago, CleanHands said:

I'm open to correction but my understanding is that the horrible, predatory scholarships requiring deliberately unrealistic GPA requirements to renew are basically an American and not Canadian thing (although Canadian ones can require students to simply maintain good academic standing). I don't think Dalhousie sets people up to fail in that respect.

I did not mean to imply that Dal was setting them up for failure. I brought this up since I know that many undergrad scholarships in Ontario are renewed only if you maintain a certain GPA, which is very difficult for the STEM majors (sadly speaking from experience). The law schools I applied to were offering scholarships but only for my 1L. I attended McGill despite them offering me no scholarships since their tuition was more affordable than the other schools, even with the scholarships. 

Anyways, Canada or US, it is always prudent to read the terms and conditions associated with any scholarships. And don’t forget to write a thank you letter if possible!